Wireless device pairing

ABSTRACT

A wireless unit includes a first motion sensitive device; communications circuitry for wirelessly communicating with a further wireless unit; and a processing device configured to compare at least one first motion vector received from the first motion sensitive device with at least one second motion vector received from a second motion sensitive device of the further wireless unit.

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a device and method for pairing adevice with at least one other device in a network.

Description of the Related Art

FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless network 100, comprising a base unit 102and a plurality of wireless units 104. Each wireless unit 104 maywirelessly communicate with the base unit 102 and/or with one or more ofthe other wireless units 104.

Such a network 100 is configured such that each of the wireless units104 is authorized to fully communicate only with the other devices ofthe same network 100. In particular, wireless units 106 shown in FIG. 1,which for example form part of a neighboring network that is within thewireless communication range of base unit 102 and/or of one of thewireless units 104, may be permitted to exchange some minimalinformation with the devices of network 100, by they not authorized toperform high-level exchanges with devices of network 100.

In order to pair a new wireless unit with one or more of the devices ofnetwork 100, a process known as “pairing” is used. Once paired, the newdevice may wirelessly communicate with the other wireless units 104and/or base unit 102 in the same way and to the same extent as the otherwireless units 104. A risk during pairing is that a network intrudermanages to have an unauthorized wireless device added to the network. Anobjective of pairing is therefore that the addition of new wirelessdevices is restricted to devices that a network operator wishes to beadded to the network. Thus any other wireless device, such as units 106in FIG. 1, should be prevented from being able to pair with network 100.

One solution for preventing unauthorized pairing of new wireless deviceswould be to use a button on the new wireless device, which can bepressed by a user during the pairing procedure to validate the pairingof this device. However, a determined intruder may be able to breachthis security measure, for example by pressing at the appropriate time asimilar button on an unauthorized wireless device. Furthermore, such abutton adds cost, complexity, and the risk of malfunction to thewireless devices.

There is thus a technical problem in securely pairing new devices in awireless network such as that of FIG. 1, without permitting unauthorizeddevices to be paired.

BRIEF SUMMARY

According to one embodiment, there is provided a wireless unitcomprising: a first motion sensitive device; communications circuitryfor wirelessly communicating with a further wireless unit; and aprocessing device configured to compare at least one first motion vectorreceived from said first motion sensitive device with at least onesecond motion vector received from a second motion sensitive device ofsaid further wireless unit.

According to one embodiment, the processing device is further configuredto pair, based on said comparison, said further wireless unit with saidwireless unit and/or with at least one other device of a network.

According to an embodiment, the processing device is configured to pairsaid further wireless device by transmitting a message to said furtherwireless device comprising connection data.

According to an embodiment, the processing device is configured toreceive said first motion vector by sampling an output of said firstmotion sensitive device in response to the reception of said secondmotion vector.

According to an embodiment, the processing device is further configuredto determine a correction vector between one of said first and one ofsaid second motion vectors and to correct a subsequent one of said firstand second motion vectors based on said correction vector prior to usingit during said comparison.

According to an embodiment, the first and second motion vectors eachcomprise x, y and z components corresponding to three orthogonaldirections, and said comparison comprises determining the differencebetween the x components of the first and second motion vectors, betweenthe y components of the first and second motion vectors and between thez components of the first and second motion vectors.

According to an embodiment, the motion sensitive devices each comprisean accelerometer, an electronic compass, and/or a gyroscope.

According to an embodiment, there is provided a system comprising theabove wireless unit and the further wireless unit.

According to one embodiment, the system further comprises a base unitcomprising communications circuitry configured to communicate with saidwireless unit and with said further wireless unit.

According to one embodiment, the base unit is an edge router of thewireless network, and the wireless unit is a pairing authorization unitfor pairing new wireless devices on said network.

According to an embodiment, there is provided the use of the abovewireless unit for pairing the further wireless unit with the wirelessunit and/or with at least one other device of a network by moving at thesame time and together the wireless unit and the further wireless unitwhile said at least one first and second motion vectors are generated.

According to an embodiment, there is provided a method comprising:moving at the same time and together a wireless unit and a furtherwireless unit; while said wireless unit and further wireless unit arebeing moved, generating motion vectors by respective motion sensitivedevices of said wireless unit and further wireless unit; and comparingsaid motion vectors by a processing device.

According to one embodiment, the method further comprises pairing bysaid processing device the further wireless unit with the wireless unitand/or with at least one other device of a network based on saidcomparison.

According to an embodiment, pairing of the further wireless unit by theprocessing device is performed if N of the first and second motionvectors match to within a certain tolerance, where N is equal to 2 ormore.

According to an embodiment, the method comprises sampling a motionvector of the motion sensitive device of the wireless unit in responseto the reception by the wireless unit of a motion vector of the motionsensitive device of the further wireless unit.

In an embodiment, a wireless unit, comprises: a motion sensor; atransceiver configured to receive wireless communications; and at leastone processing device configured to respond to reception of motioninformation by the transceiver by sampling an output of the motionsensor and comparing the sampled output with received motioninformation. In an embodiment, said at least one processing device isfurther configured to pair, based on said comparison, a second wirelessunit from which motion information was received with at least onedevice. In an embodiment, the at least one device includes at least oneof: the wireless unit and another device of a network. In an embodiment,said at least one processing device is configured to pair said secondwireless unit by transmitting a message to said second wireless unitincluding connection data. In an embodiment, the received motioninformation comprises at least one received motion vector and thesampled output of the motion sensor comprises at least one sampledmotion vector. In an embodiment, said processing device is configured toperform the comparison by determining a correction vector between one ofsaid received motion vectors and one of said sampled motion vectors andcorrecting a subsequent one of said received motion vectors and saidsampled motion vectors based on said correction vector prior to usingthe subsequent motion vector during said comparison. In an embodiment,said motion vectors each comprise x, y and z components corresponding tothree orthogonal directions, and wherein the processing device isconfigured to determine differences between x components of motionvectors, differences between y components of motion vectors anddifferences between z components of motion vectors. In an embodiment,said motion sensor comprises at least one of: an accelerometer; anelectronic compass; and a gyroscope.

In an embodiment, a system comprises: a first wireless device having: amotion sensor; and a transceiver coupled to the motion sensor andconfigured to transmit motion-related information; and a second wirelessdevice having: a motion sensor; a transceiver configured to receivewireless communications; and at least one processing device configuredto respond to reception of motion-related information by the transceiverof the second wireless device by sampling an output of the motion sensorof the second wireless device and comparing the sampled output withreceived motion-related information. In an embodiment, the systemcomprises a base unit including communications circuitry configured tocommunicate with said first wireless device and with said secondwireless device. In an embodiment, said base unit is an edge router of awireless network, and wherein said second wireless device is a pairingauthorization module for pairing new wireless devices on said network.In an embodiment, the second wireless device is configured to pairwireless devices on a network based on comparisons by the processingdevice. In an embodiment, the second wireless device is an edge routerof the network.

In an embodiment, a system comprises: means for sensing motion; meansfor receiving motion-related information; and means for responding toreceipt of motion-related information by sampling an output of the meansfor sensing motion and comparing the sampled output with receivedmotion-related information. In an embodiment, the system comprises: afirst wireless device including the means for sensing motion, the meansfor receiving motion-related information and the means for responding toreceipt of motion-related information; and a second wireless deviceincluding: second means for sensing motion; and means for transmittingmotion-related information generated by the second means for sensingmotion. In an embodiment, the means for sensing motion comprises atleast one of: an accelerometer; an electronic compass; and a gyroscope.

In an embodiment, a method comprises: receiving, by a wirelesscommunication device, motion-related information; and responding, by thewireless communication device, to the receipt of motion-relatedinformation by: generating motion-related information; and comparinggenerated motion-related information to received motion-relatedinformation. In an embodiment, the receiving motion-related informationcomprises receiving a stream of motion-related information and thecomparing comprises comparing generated motion-related information toconcurrently received motion-related information. In an embodiment, thewireless communication device is a first wireless communication device,the received motion-related information is received from a secondwireless communication device and the method comprises: moving the firstand second wireless communication devices together at the same time; andtransmitting the received motion-related information from the secondwireless communication device to the first wireless communicationdevice. In an embodiment, the method comprises: selectively pairing thesecond wireless communication device based on the comparison. In anembodiment, the selectively pairing comprises pairing the secondwireless communication device with the first wireless communicationdevice.

In an embodiment, a method comprises: moving at the same time andtogether a first wireless unit and a second wireless unit; and whilesaid first wireless unit and said second wireless unit are being moved,generating and transmitting motion vectors from the first wireless unitto the second wireless unit; and responding, by the second wirelessunit, to receipt of transmitted motion vectors by: generating motionvectors related to movement of the second wireless unit; and comparingat least one motion vector received from the first wireless unit to atleast one motion vector generated by the second wireless unit. In anembodiment, the method further comprises: selectively pairing, by saidsecond wireless unit and based on the comparing, the first wireless unitwith at least one device of a wireless network. In an embodiment,pairing of said first wireless unit is performed if N compared motionvectors match to within a certain tolerance, where N is equal to 2 ormore.

In an embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium'scontents cause a first wireless device to respond to receipt of motionvectors from a second wireless device by performing a method, the methodcomprising: generating motion vectors in response to receipt of motionvectors; comparing one or more generated motion vectors to one or morereceived motion vectors; and selectively pairing the second wirelessdevice based on the comparing. In an embodiment, the selectively pairingcomprises pairing the second wireless device if N compared motionvectors match to within a certain tolerance, where N is equal to 2 ormore. In an embodiment, the comparing comprises adjusting a motionvector and comparing the adjusted motion vector to another motionvector.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other purposes, features, aspects and advantages ofvarious embodiments will become apparent from the following detaileddescription of embodiments, given by way of illustration and notlimitation with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 (described above) illustrates a network of wireless unitsaccording to one example;

FIG. 2 illustrates a network of wireless units according to an exampleembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating motion vectors according to an exampleembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a pair of wireless units according toan example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a state diagram illustrating states of an edge routeraccording to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a state diagram illustrating states of an unpaired wirelessdevice according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating operations in a method of devicepairing according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, certain details are set forth in order toprovide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of devices,systems, methods and articles. However, one of skill in the art willunderstand that other embodiments may be practiced without thesedetails. In other instances, well-known structures and methodsassociated with, for example, wireless devices, computing systems,virtual computing systems, communication networks, routers, etc., havenot been shown or described in detail in some figures to avoidunnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the embodiments.

Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification andclaims which follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, such as“comprising,” and “comprises,” are to be construed in an open, inclusivesense, that is, as “including, but not limited to.”

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment is included in at least oneembodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” or“in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification arenot necessarily referring to the same embodiment, or to all embodiments.Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics maybe combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments to obtainfurther embodiments.

The headings are provided for convenience only, and do not interpret thescope or meaning of this disclosure or the claims.

The sizes and relative positions of elements in the drawings are notnecessarily drawn to scale. For example, the shapes of various elementsand angles are not drawn to scale, and some of these elements areenlarged and positioned to improve drawing legibility. Further, theparticular shapes of the elements as drawn are not necessarily intendedto convey any information regarding the actual shape of particularelements, and have been selected solely for ease of recognition in thedrawings.

Throughout the following description, only those aspects useful for anunderstanding of the present disclosure will be described in detail.Other aspects, such as the particular wireless protocol used for the RF(radio frequency) communications between wireless units of the networkand the particular applications of the wireless units of the network arenot discussed in detail, the embodiments being compatible with a broadrange of wireless protocols and types of wired and/or wireless networks.For example, communications could be by any of a number of wirelessprotocols conforming to the IEEE 802.15.4 standard for low-rate wirelesspersonal area networks (LR WPLANs), such as for example Zigbee orWirelessHART (the names “Zigbee” and “WirelessHART” may correspond toregistered trademarks). Examples of applications of the wireless unitsof the network include networks of sensors and/or actuators forming fireor burglar alarm systems, systems for monitoring large structures orindustrial machines, wireless body area networks (WPANs) or body sensornetworks (BSN), computer gaming applications, or a wide range of othertypes of systems.

Throughout the following, the terms “wireless unit” and “wirelessdevice” are used to designate a unit that is capable of wirelesscommunication with one or more other devices in the network. Suchwireless units may be, for example, mobile, in that they have either anautonomous power source, for example in the form of a rechargeablebattery, or they could be powered by radio energy received from certaindevices inside or outside the network. However, it will be apparent tothose skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein couldalso be applied to wireless units that, in addition to wirelesscommunications, are also capable of wired communication, such aselements of a power line communications (PLC) systems, which may bepowered by a wired power supply at least some of the time.

The terms “pair” or its variants are used to designate a processaccording to which at least some types of communication exchangesbetween a certain network device and one or more other devices in thenetwork, which were previously not permitted, become authorized. Forexample, this authorization is granted by transmitting connection data,such as a network identifier, to the new device, and/or by adding anaddress of the new device to a list of authorized devices on thenetwork.

FIG. 2 illustrates a system 200 of wireless units according to anexample embodiment.

System 200 for example comprises a network formed of a base unit 202,and a wireless unit 203 already paired to the base unit. Wireless unit203 may thus be considered as a trusted wireless unit. There may be oneor more further wireless units (not illustrated in FIG. 2) forming thenetwork. In one example, the wireless unit 203 is an edge router. Anedge router is a wireless unit that performs the principal interfacebetween the other wireless units of the network and the base unit 202.Furthermore, according to the embodiments described herein, the device203 is able to act as a pairing authorization module for enabling newdevices to be paired on the network.

The base unit 202 for example comprises a user interface 205, comprisingan input device and/or display, permitting an operator of the network tointeract with the wireless unit 203 and/or other paired wireless unitsof the network. In some embodiments, the base unit 202 could beincorporated into a mobile communications device of a user, such as asmart phone, PDA (personal digital assistant), tablet or laptopcomputer, or the like. Furthermore, the base unit 202 could be integralwith the wireless unit 203. As a further alternative, the edge routerfunctionalities of wireless unit 203 could be incorporated into the baseunit 202, and the wireless unit 203 could be a pre-paired device that isused for the purpose of pairing new wireless devices.

System 200 also comprises an unpaired wireless unit 204, which is to beadded to the network, such that it may communicate with the otherdevices 202, 203 of the network.

One solution for pairing the wireless unit 204 with one or more devicesof the network would be to use a low power communication signal betweendevices 203 and 204. However, there would still be some risk that thelow power signal could be intercepted by monitoring equipment of anintruder wishing to access the network.

An alternative solution that uses motion detection will now bedescribed.

The wireless units 203, 204 comprise motion sensitive devices 206A, 206Brespectively. The term “motion sensitive device” is used herein todesignate any of a range of detectors that are sensitive to some form ofphysical movement to which they are subjected. In particular, the motionthat is detected is the motion of the wireless device comprising themotion sensitive device. In the example of FIG. 2, the motion sensitivedevices 206A, 206B may be accelerometers. In alternative embodiments,other sensors capable of periodically providing a signal indicating themovement of the sensor could be used, such as MEM(Microelectromechanical) gyroscopes or MEM compasses. For example, a MEMcompass is an electronic compass comprising a magnetometer and/or afiber optic gyrocompass.

In operation, the motion sensitive devices 206A, 206B of the wirelessunits 203, 204 are for example used during the pairing procedure of thenew unit 204 in order to prevent non-authorized devices from being addedto the network. This may be achieved by moving together and at the sametime the devices, and comparing the motion vectors generated by themotion sensitive devices 206A, 206B. If the motion vectors match withina certain tolerance, the new unit is considered to be authorized to pairwith the network, whereas if the motion vectors do not match, pairing isnot performed and may be actively prevented. The procedure according toan embodiment will now be described in more detail with reference toFIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating an example of the three-dimensionalmotion vectors of the units 203 and 204 generated by the respectivemotion sensitive devices 206A, 206B during the pairing procedure. Itshould be noted that the motion vectors of FIG. 3 may represent thephysical displacement of the units 203, 204 along the orthogonal x, y,and z axes, the acceleration of the units along these axes, or theorientation of the units along these axes, depending on the type ofmotion sensitive device 206A, 206B.

The units 203 and 204 are for example placed next to each other and inphysical contact with each other, and moved for a few seconds in unison.For example, both of the units are held in the user's hand and moved.Alternatively, they could be placed in a bag and moved. In any case,essentially the same movement is applied to both units 203, 204 at thesame time. A series of motion vectors 302 represented by a solid line inFIG. 3 correspond to the detected motion of unit 203, while a series ofmotion vectors 304 represented by a dashed line in FIG. 3 correspond tothe detected motion of unit 204. The motion vectors are for examplecompared for a fixed period of time, for example over a time duration ofa few seconds. Within this time duration, hundreds of thousands ofmotion vectors are for example compared, and the periodicity of thesemotion vectors of each sequence 302, 304 is for example in the range of1 to 20 ms, although other periods between motion vectors could be used.The vectors 302 and 304 are relatively similar, due to the fact that theunits are moved together, and by comparing some or all of thecorresponding motion vectors, a match can be detected.

FIG. 4 illustrates the wireless units 203 and 204 of FIG. 2 in moredetail, according to an example embodiment.

Wireless units 203, 204 for example each comprise a processing device402A, 402B respectively, in communication with the corresponding motiondetection devices 206A, 206B and with corresponding wirelesscommunications circuitry 404A, 404B. The processing devices 402A, 402Bare also in communication with memories 406A, 406B respectively. One ormore further devices 408A, 408B may be provided in units 203, 204respectively, which for example comprise further sensors and/oractuators.

During the pairing procedure, the power of the communication signalsbetween the devices is for example kept relatively low, in order toreduce the risk that unauthorized devices could intercept thesecommunications.

FIG. 5 is a state diagram illustrating states of the wireless unit 203of FIG. 4 according to an example embodiment in which unit 203 forms anedge router of the network.

In an initial state 500, wireless unit 203 for example waits for an edgerouter (ER) message, which is a message intended for unit 203transmitted by an unpaired wireless unit. Initially, such a message isinterpreted as a request to be paired.

The transition to a subsequent state 502 occurs when an ER message isreceived. In state 502, the ER message is processed and an edge contact(EC) message is sent to the unpaired device. This EC message indicatesthat the edge router is ready to receive a motion vector from theunpaired device. Furthermore, a count value i, which is initially atzero, is incremented.

The transition from state 502 either back to the initial state 500 or toa new state 504 is determined by the value of the count value i. Inparticular, if the count value i is less than a threshold value I_(TH),the state transition is to the initial state 500. Alternatively, if thecount value i is greater than or equal to the threshold value I_(TH),the next state is state 504.

Assuming that in state 502 the count value i is lower than the thresholdvalue I_(TH), the initial state 500 is returned to, in which a new ERmessage is awaited. The next ER message to be received will contain oneor more motion vectors sampled by the unpaired wireless unit. Thus thevalue of the threshold value I_(TH) for example determines how manymotion vectors are received before state 504 is entered. The thresholdvalue I_(TH) is for example equal to or greater than 2, and could be ashigh as several thousand.

If, after entering state 502, the threshold count value I_(TH) isreached, state 504 is entered, in which either an edge attach (EA)message or a fail message is transmitted to the unpaired device. The EAmessage is for example a connection message sent to the unpaired devicethat provides connection data, such as a network identifier, enablingthe unpaired device to pair with one or more devices on the network. Thefail message for example informs the user that pairing has failed, andmay be transmitted to the unpaired device 204 and/or to the base unit202.

FIG. 6 is a state diagram showing states of the unpaired wireless unit204 according to an example embodiment.

In an initial state 600, an event is waited for, which could be thereception of a message, or the expiration of a timer.

In particular, the transition to a new state 602 occurs if a conditionis met, which is that an edge router address is unknown, and that atimer t1 has expired. Initially, when an unpaired wireless unit isintroduced within range of the edge router, the edge router address isnot known, and because timer T1 is not running, it is considered to beexpired. Thus initially the above condition will be considered as beingmet, and a transition from state 600 to state 602 occurs. In state 602,an edge router ER message is transmitted. This message corresponds tothe message received in state 500 of FIG. 5. Furthermore, the timer T1is started.

After state 602, the initial state 600 is re-entered, and if there is noresponse before timer T1 has expired, state 602 is again entered, and anew ER message is transmitted. Alternatively, if an edge connect (EC)message is received from the edge router, the state 604 is entered. Theedge connect message corresponds to the one sent during state 502 ofFIG. 5. In state 604, it is determined that edge connection is possiblewith the edge router, and the address of the edge router is stored.After state 604, there is a transition back to state 600.

Once the edge router address is known, a transition from state 600 to astate 606 occurs once a timer T2 has expired. Initially, because timerT2 is not running, is it considered to be expired, and thus state 606 isentered.

In state 606, a motion vector is sampled and sent to the edge router,and the timer T2 is started. Then, the initial state 600 is re-entered,with timer T2 running. When timer T2 expires, state 606 is re-entered,and another motion vector is transmitted to the edge router. This cyclecontinues until an edge attach (EA) message is received from the edgerouter, which causes the transition from state 600 to a state 608. Instate 608 the edge router is for example added as a known element of thenetwork to which communications may be transmitted. The EA message forexample contains a network identifier to be used for future networkcommunications. To provide additional security, the address, such as theIP address, of the unpaired device 204 is also for example stored by thenetwork manager, i.e., by the base unit 202 and/or by the wireless unit203. This for example prevents an intruder device that knows the networkidentifier from communicating in the network.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram showing operations in a method of devicepairing according to an example embodiment, which is for exampleimplemented by a processing device of the wireless unit 203 of FIG. 2.

In a first operation 701, the wireless unit 203 receives an initialmotion vector from the unpaired wireless unit 204.

In a next operation 702, an initial motion vector is sampled by thewireless unit 203. In particular, the reception of a first motion vectorfrom an unpaired device for example triggers the sampling of a motionvector from the motion sensitive device 206A of the wireless unit 203.

In a subsequent operation 703, a correction vector is determined betweenthe initial motion vectors received from the wireless unit 203 andunpaired wireless unit 204. For example, this is achieved by performingthe following subtraction:

$\begin{pmatrix}C_{x} \\C_{y} \\C_{z}\end{pmatrix} = {\begin{pmatrix}A_{x} \\A_{y} \\A_{z}\end{pmatrix} - \begin{pmatrix}B_{x} \\B_{y} \\B_{z}\end{pmatrix}}$where the values C_(x), C_(y) and C_(z) are the x, y and z components ofthe correction vector, the values A_(x), A_(y) and A_(z) are the x, yand z components of the initial motion vector from the wireless unit203, and the values B_(x), B_(y) and B_(z) are the x, y and z componentsof the initial motion vector of the unpaired wireless unit 204. Thiscorrection vector is for example subtracted from future motion vectorsgenerated by the motion sensitive device of the wireless unit 203. Alsoin operation 703, the count value i is for example initialized at 2.

In a subsequent operation 704, the ith motion vector B_(i) from theunpaired device 204 is received, and in a subsequent operation 705, theith motion vector A_(i) from the motion sensitive device of the wirelessunit 203 is sampled, and the correction vector is for example applied tothis motion vector. In particular, the corrected vector A_(i)′ is forexample determined as follows:

$\begin{pmatrix}A_{ix}^{\prime} \\A_{iy}^{\prime} \\A_{iz}^{\prime}\end{pmatrix} = {\begin{pmatrix}A_{ix} \\A_{iy} \\A_{iz}\end{pmatrix} - \begin{pmatrix}C_{x} \\C_{y} \\C_{z}\end{pmatrix}}$

In a subsequent operation 706, it is determined whether or not the countvalue i is greater than the threshold value I_(TH). If not, count valuei is incremented in an operation 707, and operations 704 and 705 arerepeated. If on the other hand the threshold counter value I_(TH) hasbeen reached, the next step is operation 708, in which it is determinedwhether or not the motion vectors match. For example, it is determinedwhether, after correction, the motion vectors are identical within acertain tolerance. The tolerance is for example based on the accuracy ofthe motion detectors, and also the relative sample times of the motionvectors, which may not be at exactly the same time. For example, atolerance of a few percent of the total range of each vector componentmay be permitted. For example, this operation involves the calculationof a difference vector using the following operation:

$\begin{pmatrix}D_{x} \\D_{y} \\D_{z}\end{pmatrix} = {{\begin{pmatrix}A_{ix}^{\prime} \\A_{iy}^{\prime} \\A_{iz}^{\prime}\end{pmatrix} - \begin{pmatrix}B_{ix} \\B_{iy} \\B_{iz}\end{pmatrix}}}$where the values D_(x), D_(y) and D_(z) are the x, y and z components ofa difference vector between the corrected vector A_(i)′ and the receivedvector B_(i). For example, each of the components D_(x), D_(y) and D_(z)of the difference vector is compared to a maximum threshold value, andif this maximum threshold is not exceeded for any of the components, thevectors are considered to match. This operation is for example repeatedfor all of the pairs of vectors from the wireless unit 203 and unpairedwireless unit 204.

If the operation 708 results in a positive match, the next operation is709, in which the devices are paired. Alternatively, the next operationis 710, in which an error or fail message is for example transmitted tothe base unit 202 and/or to the unpaired device 204.

An advantage of the embodiments described herein is that pairing betweentwo wireless devices can be performed in a simple but very securemanner. In particular, it would be very hard for a fraudster to generatemotion vectors that match those of the trusted wireless unit 203 withina relatively small time delay.

Having thus described at least one illustrative embodiment, variousalterations, modifications and improvements will readily occur to thoseskilled in the art.

For example, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that theverification of the motion detectors may be performed in either thetrusted wireless unit 203 or in the wireless base unit 202, depending onthe implementation.

An advantage of performing this verification within the same device asthe motion sensitive device of the trusted wireless unit is that themotion vectors from this device may not be wirelessly transmitted,thereby improving security.

Furthermore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that thecomparison between motion vectors as well as the correction of motionvectors and the control of the sampling times of the motion vectors, canbe implemented by hardware and/or at least partially by software.

Some embodiments may take the form of computer program products. Forexample, according to one embodiment there is provided a computerreadable medium comprising a computer program adapted to perform one ormore of the methods described above. The medium may be a physicalstorage medium such as for example a Read Only Memory (ROM) chip, or adisk such as a Digital Versatile Disk (DVD-ROM), Compact Disk (CD-ROM),a hard disk, a memory, a network, or a portable media article to be readby an appropriate drive or via an appropriate connection, including asencoded in one or more barcodes or other related codes stored on one ormore such computer-readable mediums and being readable by an appropriatereader device.

Furthermore, in some embodiments, some or all of the systems, circuitryand/or modules may be implemented or provided in other manners, such asat least partially in firmware and/or hardware, including, but notlimited to, one or more application-specific integrated circuits(ASICs), discrete circuitry, standard integrated circuits, controllers(e.g., by executing appropriate instructions, and includingmicrocontrollers and/or embedded controllers), field-programmable gatearrays (FPGAs), state machines, complex programmable logic devices(CPLDs), etc., as well as devices that employ RFID technology. In someembodiments, some of the modules or controllers separately describedherein may be combined, split into further modules and/or split andrecombined in various manners.

The systems, modules and data structures may also be transmitted asgenerated data signals (e.g., as part of a carrier wave) on a variety ofcomputer-readable transmission mediums, including wireless-based andwired/cable-based mediums.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments. Aspects of the embodiments can be modified, ifnecessary to employ concepts of the various patents, application andpublications to provide yet further embodiments.

These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of theabove-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, theterms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specificembodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should beconstrued to include all possible embodiments along with the full scopeof equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, theclaims are not limited by the disclosure.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A wireless unit, comprising: a motionsensor; a transceiver configured to receive wireless communications; andat least one processing device configured to respond to reception ofmotion information by the transceiver by sampling an output of themotion sensor and comparing the sampled output with received motioninformation, wherein the received motion information comprises at leastone received motion vector having x, y and z components corresponding tothree orthogonal directions and the sampled output of the motion sensorcomprises at least one sampled motion vector having x, y and zcomponents corresponding to three orthogonal directions, and saidprocessing device is configured to perform the comparison by determininga correction vector between one of said received motion vectors and oneof said sampled motion vectors and correcting a subsequent one of saidreceived motion vectors and said sampled motion vectors based on saidcorrection vector prior to using the subsequent motion vector duringsaid comparison.
 2. The wireless unit of claim 1 wherein said at leastone processing device is further configured to pair, based on saidcomparison, a second wireless unit from which motion information wasreceived with at least one device.
 3. The wireless unit of claim 2wherein the at least one device includes at least one of: the wirelessunit and another device of a network.
 4. The wireless unit of claim 3wherein said at least one processing device is configured to pair saidsecond wireless unit by transmitting a message to said second wirelessunit including connection data.
 5. The wireless unit of claim 1 whereinthe processing device is configured to determine differences between xcomponents of motion vectors, differences between y components of motionvectors and differences between z components of motion vectors.
 6. Thewireless unit of claim 1, wherein said motion sensor comprises at leastone of: an accelerometer; an electronic compass; and a gyroscope.
 7. Awireless unit, comprising: a motion sensor; a transceiver configured toreceive wireless communications; and at least one processing deviceconfigured to respond to reception of motion information by thetransceiver by sampling an output of the motion sensor and comparing thesampled output with received motion information, wherein the receivedmotion information comprises at least one received motion vector havingx, y and z components corresponding to three orthogonal directions, thesampled output of the motion sensor comprises at least one sampledmotion vector having x, y and z components corresponding to threeorthogonal directions, and said at least one processing device isconfigured to perform the comparison by determining a difference vectorbetween one of said received motion vectors and one of said sampledmotion vectors and a to correct a subsequent one of said received motionvectors and said sampled motion vectors by subtracting the differencevector from the subsequent vector.
 8. The wireless unit of claim 7wherein said at least one processing device is further configured topair, based on said comparison, a second wireless unit from which motioninformation was received with at least one device.
 9. A systemcomprising: a first wireless device having: a motion sensor; and atransceiver coupled to the motion sensor and configured to transmitmotion-related information; and a second wireless device having: amotion sensor; a transceiver configured to receive wirelesscommunications; and at least one processing device configured to respondto reception of motion-related information by the transceiver of thesecond wireless device by sampling an output of the motion sensor of thesecond wireless device and comparing the sampled output with receivedmotion-related information, wherein the received motion-relatedinformation comprises at least one received motion vector having x, yand z components corresponding to three orthogonal directions and thesampled output of the motion sensor of the second wireless devicecomprises at least one sampled motion vector having x, y and zcomponents corresponding to three orthogonal directions, and saidprocessing device is configured to perform the comparison by determininga correction vector between one of said received motion vectors and oneof said sampled motion vectors and correcting a subsequent motion vectorbased on said correction vector prior to using the subsequent motionvector during a comparison.
 10. The system of claim 9, comprising a baseunit including communications circuitry configured to communicate withsaid first wireless device and with said second wireless device.
 11. Thesystem of claim 10 wherein said base unit is an edge router of awireless network, and wherein said second wireless device is a pairingauthorization module for pairing new wireless devices on said network.12. The system of claim 9 wherein the second wireless device isconfigured to pair wireless devices on a network based on comparisons bythe processing device.
 13. The system of claim 12 wherein the secondwireless device is an edge router of the network.
 14. The system ofclaim 9 wherein said determining the correction vector comprisesdetermining a difference vector between one of said received motionvectors and one of said sampled motion vectors and correcting thesubsequent motion vector comprises subtracting the difference vectorfrom the subsequent motion vector.
 15. A system, comprising: means forsensing motion; means for receiving motion-related information; andmeans for responding to receipt of motion-related information bysampling an output of the means for sensing motion and comparing thesampled output with received motion-related information, wherein thereceived motion-related information comprises at least one receivedmotion vector having x, y and z components corresponding to threeorthogonal directions and the sampled output of the means for sensingmotion comprises at least one sampled motion vector having x, y and zcomponents corresponding to three orthogonal directions, and thecomparing includes determining a correction vector between one of saidreceived motion vectors and one of said sampled motion vectors andcorrecting a subsequent one of said received motion vectors and saidsampled motion vectors based on said correction vector prior to usingthe subsequent motion vector during said comparison.
 16. The system ofclaim 15, comprising: a first wireless device including the means forsensing motion, the means for receiving motion-related information andthe means for responding to receipt of motion-related information; and asecond wireless device including: second means for sensing motion; andmeans for transmitting motion-related information generated by thesecond means for sensing motion.
 17. The system of claim 15 wherein themeans for sensing motion comprises at least one of: an accelerometer; anelectronic compass; and a gyroscope.
 18. A method, comprising:receiving, by a wireless communication device, motion-relatedinformation; and responding, by the wireless communication device, tothe receipt of motion-related information by: generating motion-relatedinformation; and comparing generated motion-related information toreceived motion-related information, wherein the received motion-relatedinformation comprises at least one received motion vector having x, yand z components corresponding to three orthogonal directions and thegenerated motion-related information comprises at least one generatedmotion vector having x, y and z components corresponding to threeorthogonal directions, and said comparing comprises determining acorrection vector between one of said received motion vectors and one ofsaid generated motion vectors and correcting a subsequent motion vectorbased on the correction vector prior to using the subsequent motionvector during a comparison.
 19. The method of claim 18 wherein thereceiving motion-related information comprises receiving a stream ofmotion-related information and the comparing comprises comparinggenerated motion-related information to concurrently receivedmotion-related information.
 20. The method of claim 18 wherein thewireless communication device is a first wireless communication device,the received motion-related information is received from a secondwireless communication device and the method comprises: moving the firstand second wireless communication devices together at the same time; andtransmitting the received motion-related information from the secondwireless communication device to the first wireless communicationdevice.
 21. The method of claim 20, comprising: selectively pairing thesecond wireless communication device based on the comparison.
 22. Themethod of claim 21 wherein the selectively pairing comprises pairing thesecond wireless communication device with the first wirelesscommunication device.
 23. The method of claim 18 wherein saiddetermining the correction vector comprises determining a differencevector between one of said received motion vectors and one of saidgenerated motion vectors and correcting the subsequent motion vectorcomprises subtracting the difference vector from the subsequent motionvector.
 24. A method comprising: moving at the same time and together afirst wireless unit and a second wireless unit; and while said firstwireless unit and said second wireless unit are being moved, generatingand transmitting motion vectors from the first wireless unit to thesecond wireless unit, the transmitted motion vectors having x, y and zcomponents corresponding to three orthogonal directions; and responding,by the second wireless unit, to receipt of transmitted motion vectorsby: generating motion vectors having x, y and z components correspondingto three orthogonal directions related to movement of the secondwireless unit; and comparing at least one motion vector received fromthe first wireless unit to at least one motion vector generated by thesecond wireless unit, the comparing including determining a correctionvector between one of said motion vectors received from the firstwireless unit and one of said motion vectors generated by the secondwireless unit and correcting a subsequent motion vector based on thecorrection vector prior to using the subsequent motion vector during acomparison.
 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising: selectivelypairing, by said second wireless unit and based on the comparing, thefirst wireless unit with at least one device of a wireless network. 26.The method of claim 25, wherein pairing of said first wireless unit isperformed if N compared motion vectors match to within a certaintolerance, where N is equal to 2 or more.
 27. The method of claim 24wherein said determining the correction vector comprises determining adifference vector between one of said motion vectors received from thefirst wireless unit and one of said motion vectors generated by thesecond wireless unit and the correcting the subsequent motion vectorcomprises subtracting the difference vector from the subsequent motionvector.
 28. A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium whosecontents cause a first wireless device to respond to receipt of motionvectors from a second wireless device by performing a method, the methodcomprising: generating motion vectors in response to receipt of motionvectors, the generated and received motion vectors having x, y and zcomponents corresponding to three orthogonal directions; comparing oneor more generated motion vectors to one or more received motion vectors,the comparing including determining a correction vector between one ofsaid received motion vectors and one of said generated motion vectorsand correcting a subsequent one of said received motion vectors and saidgenerated motion vectors based on said correction vector prior to usingthe subsequent motion vector during said comparison; and selectivelypairing the second wireless device based on the comparing.
 29. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein the selectively pairingcomprises pairing the second wireless device if N compared motionvectors match to within a certain tolerance, where N is equal to 2 ormore.
 30. The computer-readable medium of claim 28 wherein thedetermining the correction vector comprises determining a differencevector between one of said received motion vectors and one of saidgenerated motion vectors and the correcting the subsequent motion vectorcomprises subtracting the difference vector from the subsequent motionvector.